And Mud Day

Okay, the other thing the boys did today was play in the mud. We had some nice heavy rain with no thunder or lightning. They played beautifully together for over an hour. That doesn't count the time Nick spent playing in the rain this morning.

happy rain dance

after bathing in the mud

snails to play with (notice the pruny hands)

our obliging dirt/mud hole

Nick halfway behind a wall

Museum Day

Today was Museum Day for us. In fact, it was Smithsonian's Museum Day Live! A few museums in our area were participating, so we decided this morning to go to two of them. Each household can get two free tickets to a participating museum, which you have to choose before you print out the ticket. Of the two museums we went to, one normally had free admission for children under 12 and the other normally had free admission for everyone, so our whole family was able to go to both for free.

We went to the fine art museum downtown and the military forces museum on base. Xander did not appear impressed with the Renaissance painters exhibit. (We are studying Raphael Sanzio right now, so it was on subject.) I was, and Nick obligingly walked through the whole exhibit with me, sometimes pointing out a detail in a painting or asking what it was. (A sword or a shield, usually, and one white sculpture was, to him, a robot.)

Erik and Xander went through exhibits at their own pace and Nick and I went through at our slightly slower pace. There was a hands-on room that Xander loved but Nick ignored. (Overall, I was very impressed with Nick's obeying the hands-off rule at the museums.) There was a modern art and installation exhibit that Xander found more interesting. Erik let him choose any piece of art to stand in front of to get his picture taken. He chose a large modern piece.

Nick liked the huge staircase. He also wanted lots and lots of food. We had gone off in enough of a hurry that I left our snack behind on the kitchen counter. We found a McDonald's on the way to the military museum and got the kids each a hamburger and french fries. Erik got a Coke. I got nothing, because I was still full from my breakfast in bed. Yes, I got to sleep in this morning. I only woke up at 9:00 because Erik brought in a breakfast tray with coffee and scrambled eggs that he had taught Xander to make. Already, I was in love with this day. And then we got to go to museums!

The military museum was a big hit with the boys. Nick liked the airplanes and helicopters. Xander liked the cannons and tanks. Oh, and he loved the detailed dioramas. I noticed some more somber information and photographs there, but I didn't want to press anyone into studying or looking at anything longer than they wanted to at these museums. (Or give them information beyond their maturity level.) I just wanted them to have the experience of being there in person. Erik was able to understand and explain some interesting facts about the weapons and ammunition. He had even found some of the ordnance we saw there on previous jobs.

the piece of art Xander chose to pose with

in the ejection seat!

"pressing the buttons"

We Are Pretenders

Yesterday we did not finish every one of our subjects, mainly due to my energy level, which was extremely low until Erik encouraged me to go running. (I went about two miles and it felt great.) Erik was a big help getting us all out the door in the evening when he came home from work, too. We sat in the cool evening air and he tried to play catch with the boys. Nick was focusing on learning to catch until Xander entered the picture and then most of his focus was lost. I noticed that almost in the middle of a catch, he did lean over and say, "Oh, teeny tiny flowers!" about some wild (weed) flowers that had sprung up after our rains. He is very happy looking at dirt, insects, and other back yard things.

I brought Sandy outside during that time and my spirits lifted. A mosquito got me really bad, though. (Out of all creatures of nature, I think mosquitoes are some of the least uplifting in the world. I'm a wimp that way.) Then we all came in for dinner.

After the kids were put to bed, Erik and I had a good and lengthy discussion about Xander's studies. We got on the same page and did some refining of our science and math plans.

Today Xander and I have been able to do today's work as well as catch up on yesterday's. Some of the busy bag activities I put together yesterday were a big hit with Nick and actually did keep him busy some of the time that Xander and I were reading from The Hobbit and This Country of Ours.

(Specifically, Nick liked Somewhat Simple's Wacky Sacks, Motherhood on a Dime's Cotton Ball Squeeze, and an activity I found and made up years ago for Xander. I cut five pieces of copy paper in half and drew outlines of cute little piggies on nine of those smaller rectangles. Each piggy had a number written on it with a corresponding number of circles. Nick was supposed to place one penny on each circle to make the total number written.

You can see he actually used the buttons from his preschool basket instead. Very cute, I think.)

Xander is really searching for the battles in This Country of Ours. At this point in our studies, we are on Columbus, who is currently encountering kind and gentle native people. Xander wanted me to continue reading, because he was hoping to hear of a battle he could draw for his My America drawing narration. He ended up drawing Columbus and his Spaniards in their full armor landing on the first shore they found.

I am reading Nurture Shock, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, and it's a really good read. One of the chapters talks about the importance of the stages of imaginary play. According to research they had looked at, there are major benefits to be gained when children plan what they will pretend and what role they will take, and then play at that scenario for a length of time (one hour for preschoolers). Um, we have it covered. Xander and Nick do that wonderfully, and they are able to use fewer props as time goes on, which was a developmental step mentioned in the book.

Yeah, we've got that very covered. I just overheard the two of them plan what they would pretend, who they would be, and then begin their "movie." They are running around fighting with zero props, using arms for swords and such and using their mouths for sound effects. Of course.

This Week's Goals

Last Week's Goals - Let's see how I did:

Personal

1. Go to church on Sunday.
2. Run at least 6 miles this week.
3. Start keeping a morning journal.

Marriage

4. Focus on Erik when I get home from running and have nightly chores done. Forget about what I haven't yet completed for the day, or the week, or the month. {Hmm, I think I have been more about collapsing after runs than about Erik - but we did play one or two games of Through the Ages and watch our new show together.}

Children/Homeschooling

5. Take Nick to preschool - with homework finished.
6. Show Xander where on our history timeline the knights will fall - since he got to play with them ahead of time as part of his recovery from the tonsillectomy.

Service/Family/Friends

7. Call my mom, my dad, my brother, and my sister this Sunday. {I think I just missed calling my dad - and most everyone else wasn't available.}
8. Work on letters/thank you notes/projects for friends. {Nope. Didn't even get my own projects worked on. Xander's recovery week did not end up being a catch-up week. :) I did, however, read a lot.}
9. Let at least one friend know how special they are to me by picking up the phone to call or doing something else out of the way. {Oops. You all are special, though!}

Financial

10. Work on a No Spend policy for the month of October. {We're going to forgo spending this month because we need to. There is one exception: one way or another, we will get Xander to Sea World. They have a Homeschool Day coming up with a huge discount. I'll skip doing a 5K race. We will spend money on utilities and groceries, but I'll try not to buy any extras at the grocery store when I go. Our budget has been redone.}

Next Week's Goals:

Personal

1. Eat less meat.
2. Continue my morning journal time.
3. Go to CEC on Sunday.

Marriage

4. Focus on Erik when I get home from running and have nightly chores done. Forget about what I haven't yet completed for the day, or the week, or the month.
5. Start re-reading The 5 Love Languages.

Children/Homeschooling

5. Take Nick to preschool - with homework finished.
6. Continue HUFI with Xander - start recorder lessons and practice.
7. Start Xander on 10-15 minutes reading to himself before bed to count for Pizza Hut's Book-It program.

Service/Family/Friends

8. Write at least one letter or note or email to a friend/family member.

Financial

9. Continue a No-Spend month.

Household

10. Practice our clean-up routine throughout the day; work slowly but steadily on project jar or chore list except for purposeful rest and recreation times.

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling On a Budget Part 2

To follow up the Part 1 post where I listed what we have bought for the Higher Up and Further In curiculum (HUFI) this year and what we already owned, here is what we've borrowed from the library so far that is helpful for HUFI:

 A Child's Celebration of Folk Music
A Child's Celebration of Classical Music
The Philharmonic Gets Dressed
The Usborne Story of Music
Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes
Billy and Blaze
Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series
1-2-3 Draw Dinosaurs
Pocahontas by D'Aulaire
Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
Snowflake Bentley
The Glorious Impossible (by Madeleine L'Engle and illustrated with frescoes by Giotto)
Adios Oscar
El Gato Con Sombrero Viene de Nuevo
Hailstones and Halibut Bones (Adventures In Color)
Beth Manners' Fun Spanish for Kids

I think I forgot to mention in Part 1 that we also bought This Country of Ours.

Here are 25 free online resources for Charlotte Mason education and HUFI (please feel free to comment if you know of others):

• Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series
• KISS grammar
• 450 free audiobooks (not Charlotte Mason specific, but some are applicable)
• Sherri's lesson plans for Drawing with Children
• Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
• Elementary Geography by Charlotte Mason
• Unbeaten Tracks in Japan by Isabella Bird
• Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa by David Livingstone
• Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, Book 1, by Bede
• flower pressing by The Dainty Squid
• Sparrow Tree Square is a free downloadable magazine with quality poets' and authors' works
• Leaf rubbing and paint mural by Filth Wizardry
• Watercolor Autumn Art by Chocolate on my Cranium
• How to Draw Chinese Dragons step by step
• Lionel McClellend sings A Man's a Man for a' That
• Drawing with Children: Nature Journal Style with Printable Lessons
• Paddle to the Sea short film
• 25 Manners Every Kid Should Know By Age 9
• Scarborough Faire Canticle (Simon and Garfunkel)
• Warm-up drawing blocks for Drawing with Children lessons by Donna Young
• Math With M&Ms, if you are inclined to use sweets as manipulatives :)
• Among the People series by Clara Dillingham Pierson
• San Francisco Symphony website (be sure to check out the children's section of the site)
• and of course! Charlotte Mason Help and Higher Up and Further In
• Ambleside Online

Recovery Report

First Day

On Xander's first day, he acted like his normal self, active, happy, and eating (smooth foods) once he fully woke up from anesthesia. He requested some foods that I didn't want to give him yet, like Ramen noodles.

Second Day

The second day, he was a little more irritable and tired than usual, but otherwise pretty normal. He did not request or accept any foods that were not totally smooth. He ate and drank fine, but not a lot. Sherbet and other nice things were not necessarily finished.

Third Day

The third day, he was feeling his low fever a lot more and feeling more pain. He requested pain medicine well before it was time again. He accepted ice water while waiting for the medicine. Chocolate ice cream was rejected at times. Complained of cheek soreness once, on top of the throat pain. More lethargic, watching TV almost all day.

Fourth Day

Feeling so much better! He told me he could tell that he was healing. Ate a whole lot of turkey bacon, instant oatmeal, and yogurt.

Fifth Day

Doing great. Didn't notice when I gave his pain meds an hour later than usual. He hates that taste, though. Eating things like hot dogs, pineapple slices, Raisin Bran...

Sixth and Seventh Days

These are potentially dangerous days for some patients, when they begin to bleed again. Xander did not! He also felt better and did not take as much pain medicine. Hurray!

Pain Medication

The dosage on his pain medication was 1/2 to 1 teaspoon every 4 to 6 hours. Based on advice given by the recovery nurse, we gave a full teaspoon almost every time. During the day the first two days, we dosed every 5 hours or so. At night we did every 4 to 5 hours. On the third day, we dosed every 4 hours during the day. No more waking him at night at that point.

Antibiotic

He was given an antibiotic prescription as well. We followed the dosage instructions of 1 1/2 teaspoons two times a day. I chose breakfast and dinner for antibiotic times. I wanted to try to have his stomach as filled as possible while taking the medications. We were told that if he developed stomach pains, we could discontinue the antibiotic. If we accidentally missed a dose, that was okay, too. The antibiotic was a precautionary measure (I assume).

Drawing

Xander is recovering well from his surgery. Today he has not had any pain medicine. He and I did school work yesterday and today, although we can't start him on recorder practice (or vigorous exercise, or excess heat outside) for another week.

Last night I went for about a two-mile run. Nick wanted to "go out for a run, too," so he and I did a jog up and down the street first. He was holding his tummy a lot. Poor thing either ate too much just before, or had a tummy ache for a different reason. Didn't really bother him, though.

Speaking of running, I have run three or four times in the last week (I can't remember anymore!) for over two miles each time. This is starting to feel good again. I started and finished a book called Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. At this point, I am ready to say it is one of the best books I have ever read. Of course, I'm a runner at heart, so I'm biased - but it's a great story. I am seriously thinking about becoming largely vegetarian (and largely simple-Mexican-foodarian) after reading this book. And ditching my big cushiony running shoes.

On to this week. Xander and I have finished our HUFI Year 1 Term 1 Daily Checklists the last two days, except for the recorder practice and a geography lesson yesterday that would have required going outside. (Nick has been outside playing a lot, but he doesn't like to stay out there too long without a companion.)

rather than drawing on various piece of paper outside, Nick would rather...

...do this, and dig in the dirt

he also loves playing with this old Robots board game we got at a garage sale

The short lessons of Charlotte Mason work like a dream with Xander, but one thing he always wants to continue forever and ever is reading James Herriott's Treasury for Children. We usually end up reading two stories instead of one.

During our break, I asked Xander if he wanted to try a drawing exercise like his brother had done the other day. I'm reading Drawing with Children, by Mona Brookes, and liking it. I agree with others who've said it seems like a lot of work for the teacher, but so far I think it might be worth the work. We haven't gotten very far. One of the preparatory lessons is to figure out at what level the student will start. For my son's age (six), she suggests trying a Level 2 drawing exercise. If he can complete most of the imitation drawings without having to stop for good, then he should start at that level. To be frank, I wasn't sure he would start at Level 2.

Two weeks ago, he and I drew a Chinese dragon step by step together. I drew some of the lines, he drew some of the lines. I simply wanted him to gain confidence. This is what we did (he hasn't quite finished coloring it):

One day, I had him try a warm-up exercise from Drawing with Children:

He complained a bit about it and, as you can see, did not quite finish.

Fast forward two weeks to what he wanted to do today (the Level 2 diagnostic exercise):

The second and fourth rows are his work. Then he wanted to do the Level 1 diagnostic exercise and another round on the Level 2:

We put it all into his new Art binder.

 Now he is drawing whatever he likes on blank pieces of paper while we listen to folk songs. After today, I feel even more hopeful about using Drawing with Children. The results shown in the book are almost unbelievable...but I can hardly believe how easily and quickly my son did these diagnostic exercises.

Oh, one more thing that makes Drawing with Children harder to implement: the author calls for complete silence during drawing lessons. I guess we'll have to do this during Nick's nap time, or that will be completely impossible. :)

If anyone wants to see what Nick did with the Level 1 diagnostic exercise, here it is:

Mona Brookes says that some three-year-olds (more like three-and-a-half-year-olds) are ready to begin learning to draw representationally. Nick is not one of them, not yet. We can try this exercise again when he is four years old. I was excited that he agreed to sit down to this and that he mostly confined his "imitations" to one square apiece. He even copied a few of them rather well!

I was surprised to see him "journal" a pair of lines in a right angle position before preschool this week. I guess the line drawing activities we did a few weeks ago stuck with him a little bit.


I think I have decided what we will do for Handicrafts at least through Christmas. I might have Xander help me make framed silhouettes of himself and his brother for grandparents. He can help me put together these potpourri packages for Christmas gifts. Starting today (or at the latest, next week), we can learn to collect and press leaves and flowers. He will appreciate that, I think, and I found some good examples on Pinterest.